Prince Of Darkness
by shadowgenesect
Summary: Everyone has their own happy ending whether it be a family reuniting or say the family dog comes back... perhaps the world becoming your own personal haven. Nightmare knows how to overthrow Celestia and take Equestria as her own, but why spend your years as ruler alone? After sensing a power similar to hers, she travels to a different universe to achieve this great power of darknes
1. Chapter 1

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/ Taken/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

Nightmare Moon sat upon her throne that was now rubble. She looked upon the spot where the elements of harmony vanquished her... no not vanquish but torn from her host. She carried a solid form but not the soul to make her strong. She rose from her seat and paced around her throne room pondering what she could do to regain her former power. She stopped in front of a shattered window and gazed out at the setting sun, wishing it would be the last. How she despised Celestia's power. She thought about that word, power. She trotted towards the center room where the stones where once placed. She favored this location since it held the strongest dark power within her castle. The pillar in the center played more than just the role of holding the stone, it could be used to hone in traces of dark energy much like her own. She summoned up the weak amount of magic she had left in her body and activated the pillar. A dark mist surrounded it as the holders lit up. The pieces of stone that were destroyed in the other room reformed as they flew to their original place of resting. A dark light that was invisible to the naked eye, fired into the sky making the stars illuminate brighter than they already were.

She scanned distant worlds that are unable to be seen or haven't been documented. She closed her eyes as her magic unfurled in the vast darkness of the sky. After several hours with no results, she found it futile to continue. Just as her magic began to die down, she caught a glimpse of a faint trail of magic coming from a distant. Going for it, she put her magic into overdrive, putting all she had into it. Reaching a world that was mostly water, she began honing in on the location of her future partner.

Once she found him, she thought of him as a strange hairless ape that wore clothes. He wore a shirt with some creatures like himself on the front wearing some what disturbing masks. He had a long coat that went down to his ankles. His boots were black with a steel plate on the toe. The clothes on his legs were baggy and had chains hanging on the sides. Getting a good look at his face, she was able to figure out his name.

"Derek Mars? Odd name for a creature. Maybe it holds a meaning." She looked through the atlas of life that was written in the stars. She had to look quick, she sensed her magic dwindling.  
"Mar... the roman god of war." She learned that Derek was quite possibly the descendant of a god that existed in his world ages ago. "A descendant of a god of war, how perfect." She pulled her magic from the pillar and looked towards a doorway. Using her magic, she summoned a portal in the door frame and prepared to charge through it.

A lone man walked down a dark alley, making his way to his apartment. He took long drags off his cigarette, relishing in the smooth menthol. Sometimes he wished he could get away from it all, not like anyone would miss him. His mother died when he was young and father didn't care much for him, his father kicked him out as soon as he was eighteen and never once talked to him since. Every relationship he had ended with them leaving for no specific reason or they just lost all interest in him. He couldn't keep a stable job since his boss always found someone better for the job. The only he found that kept him going was studying roman mythology. He looked at the setting sun in front of him and sighed. Sometimes he wished the sun would set and just stay down. Looking up into the cloudy sky, signaling that it was about to snow.

"Fuck I hate Minnesota." He said under his foggy breath. He tossed the rest of his cigarette in a patch of snow. As he continued walking, a spark flashed before him, making him stop in his tracks. Sparks flew from no where, swirling into a vortex. A bright purple oval appeared before his eyes, making his body shake in fear of what it his. His breath caught in his throat making it hard to breath.

"I found you... My prince of the night." He turned to face the person who spoke, only to find another portal. "Prepare yourself... for your future." A creature baring a horn and wings bolted out of the portal towards him. With it's shoulder, it knocked him through the portal and in a flash they were both gone.

He shakily recovered and got to his feet, trying the best he could to regain the breath that was knocked out of him. Leaning against a cold stone wall, he took in his surroundings.

"What the hell?" He said in ragged breaths. Looking around the new area, he started to panic. Questions of how he got here and where here is.

"Enjoy what you see? I hope so it will be your new home." He turned to the voice and saw what looked like a pony, only with wings and a horn.

" I say again, what the hell?" She chuckled at his reaction and walked up to him. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a switch blade knife. "Just stay away from me. And we can all walk away from this unharmed." Her horn illuminated as a purple smoke wrapped around his head.

"Just rest for now my dark prince." He suddenly felt insanely tired as he lost feeling in his legs, forcing him to collapse on the hard floor. She approached him and stood over his limp body. She could feel it the closer she got. He certainly carried a strong magic within him. She leaned down and breathed in his scent before giving a small smile. "You simply reek of magic, you just need to learn how to use it." She sat down and tried to levitate his body, but to no avail.  
"...Damn it." Taking the collar of his coat into her mouth, she dragged him through the hallways to her bed chambers.

Derek awoke slowly, feeling as if he spent the entire night drinking the strongest alcohol there was. The bed he was on was tattered torn to pieces. "Jesus fuck, this bed looks like Jason and Freddy had rough sex on it."

"I assure you, no one had sex on my bed." He looked at the pony before him and groaned. "But if you wish for rough sex, I'm sure I can find somepony for you." She said with a grin. Derek got off the bed and stumbled towards her. She stood about the same height, give or take an inch.

"I'll have to pass on that. Now I think I deserve some god damn answers." She only smiled and leaned in to nuzzle his neck while inhaling his scent. He pushed her away and backed up. "Look stay away from me, I just want some answers and I want to leave."

"Forgive me for my actions. Your magic is quite... Intoxicating." She said the last word with a hint of a seductive tone. "Tell me. Do you feel that in your chest and within your mind?"

"All I feel is the sudden urge to shit myself cause this is freaking me out." She raised an eyebrow at the strange way he described his nervousness. "Look deeper. Feel it resonate from your body and mixing with my magic."

"Magic? Look lady...thing. Your weirding me out. Just show me the way out and I'll be on my merry way."

"I'm afraid not Derek. I need you. You have what I need and you will give it to me. Take a seat so we can talk." He couldn't retort for some reason. He felt as if he had no choice. He took off his trench coat and pulled out his pack of cigarettes before cautiously sitting down, keeping his eyes fixated on her.

"Okay, start talking."

"Let me start off by introducing myself, my name is Nightmare Moon. I already know all about you so you don't need to introduce yourself. Let me ask you a question. What do you think of the sun?" Derek shrugged before answering.

"I don't know, bright, hurts my eyes, makes shit too hot..."

"An evil pony who must pay?" He looked around in thought.

"I don't think the sun is a pony."

"Not the sun itself, but the one who controls it is. She is nothing but an evil pony who cannot accept the night. Tell me, If you could get rid of the sun, would you?"

"maybe, the downside is that without the sun crops are impossible to grow. The world will slowly get colder..."

"You must remember, our world is much different from yours. With our magic we'll get through it all. You know what, I will let you choose to show that I'm not so bad. Will you help me bring this world to it's rightful state of being. Eternal night?" Derek thought deeply for a while as he went over what happened in the short amount of time. First he was taken from his world by a magical talking pony thing. Said pony thing has some kind of affection towards him and she want's him to help take over this world and bring about eternal night. Well this is weird. He got up and started walking around the room, thinking about what he should do. Would it really matter if he stayed here where he might make something of himself.

"I don't think I can do this. What you plan to do is just evil. I mean, taking over the world let alone a simple country is just evil." She smiled at him, obviously amused at his reaction.

"Good, evil... It's all about perception my prince. They say it's evil if you bring about harm to somepony. But what if that somepony deserved the harm. Is it still evil, or an act of good? What if taking control of a world is the only way to revolutionize it? Answer me this, is it evil if all I want to do is bring a better world my ponies?" In a way, he had to agree with her. It was almost terrifying that they thought alike.

"No this isn't the same. Sometimes wanting a better a world can lead to genocides and such."

"So you're saying wanting eternal night will end up killing possibly thousands of ponies? My you are a strange one indeed." Derek sighed and pulled a cigarette out of his pack and lit it. Nightmare cocked her head and looked at the cigarette with curiosity. "What is that?"

"It's a cigarette, what do think it is." She shook her head at his rude tone.

"You didn't have to be rude you know?" He took a drag and blew the smoke in her face, making her cough.

"How's that for rude?" She glared at him but relaxed knowing that she had to remain calm to win him over. "I thought it over." She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"That was... quick. How could you decide so fast?" He shrugged and stood up again.

"What can I say, I'm a fast thinker. Always have been." He sighed and looked her in the eyes. "I decided to stay." She refrained from leaping with joy at his words of agreement. "First off... Anyway we can clean this place up? To be honest it's a total shit hole." She gave him a dead panned look for insulting her home. She slowly realized that he is going to require a lot of work to perfect into a proper prince.

The day went by rather quick with all the talking they did to get to know each other. The day ended with Nightmare going out and looking for a certain meal that she wished she never agreed to obtain and leaving Derek to clean up a bit around the castle. He heard the sound of hoofsteps and turned to face the doorway that they were coming from. She entered with a sickened look dawning her face with the reason why following her. A dead rabbit was being levitated by her magic. She threw the rabbit across the room to his feet.

"There's your bucking rabbit." He laughed at her getting an angry glare. "And what may I ask is so funny?"

"Your choice of words. You said bucking in replace of fucking. Rather entertaining to say the least." She shook her head and walked to her bed. "Hey Moony..."

"Did you just call me Moony?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yeah, I figured it's shorter than Nightmare Moon." She shook her head in annoyance. "Could you go get some firewood?"

"What for?"

"Well for starters it gets cold at night and I can't really eat this raw." He said while dangling the rabbit by its feet.

"Isn't it enough that I killed that innocent creature?!"

"Killing that thing really bothered you huh? Not so bad ass are you now?" He said as he walked up to her.

"Believe it or not, I'm not a killer. I have sympathy for living creatures too you know."

"Aww, you're just a little softy aren't you?" He said in a playful tone as he pinched her cheek. She knocked his hand away with a swing of her hoof.

"I don't need your attitude right now. I'll get the wood for warmth, not because I condone your carnivorous ways." She stormed out of the castle. Derek smirked at her reaction and found it kind of adorable. He gave a small chuckle and pulled out his switch blade while grabbing a branch off of a tree breaking through one of the windows. He carved the stick into a skewer. He then grabbed the rabbit and began the process of gutting and skinning it.

"What is that awful smell?" She asked as she walked in. He picked up a piece of the entrails and wiggled it.

"What do you think?" He tossed it towards her, making her jump back like five feet. He laughed and tossed the rest of the insides out the window.

"That... That's just cruel." She said as her face went pale. "How could you do something like that?"

"Same way I can do this..." He shoved the skewer through the rabbit getting Nightmare's jaw to drop. "I'm hungry." He snapped his fingers to get her attention. Once she looked up, he pointed up. "What's on the next floor up? I was gonna go check it out but the stairs are broken completely."

"You can only get up there by using wings or your magic." He face palmed when she brought up magic but shrugged in off since he didn't want to get into an argument about it. He looked around and noticed a hole in the ceiling leading up the next floor.

"Hold this for a second." He put the stick the in her mouth which she grimaced at. He picked up a few stones and placed them up against the wall. Walking back next to her, she looked at him with a confused look thinking 'He's gonna be useless'. Using a running start, he ran up the stones. Using them for foot placements, he scaled the wall up to the hole incredibly fast getting a surprised gasp from his roommate. 'Okay, I take that back, he isn't useless'.

"There's a shit ton of books up here!"

"Is that It?"

"No there appears to be a bunch of sex toys and lubricants. Nightmare you naughty girl!"

"Wait what no, there shouldn't be any-" He poked his head through the hole with a smile.

"Got ya. Nah it's nothing but old dusty books up here." He swung down head first before dropping down. He picked up the skewered rabbit and gave her a smile before walking to the spot where the fire wood was. Nightmare Moon began walk around him to get a good look and taking mental notes. She wanted to see how much he could do.

"How did you do that, Scale the wall so easy?" He place the rabbit above the fire on a flat rock.

"It's call parkour or free running. I used to do it all the time back in my world."

"Do you posses any other special talents?" He thought deep on what else he could do.

"Only other things I can do are hunt and shooting." He said as he slowly rotated the rabbit. "That's about it, sorry to disappoint."

"What's shooting?" Nightmare asked the human she was beginning to get very interested in.

"You know, to shoot things with a bow or gun. If you could send me back for a bit I could grab some things I need and show you what shooting is." She would be lying if she said that she wasn't interested. She contemplated letting him go for a bit only to get some supplies. She looked at him with a serious look.

"Promise to come back?" She asked. He nodded in response. "Say it." He sighed and returned the serious look.

"I promise I will come back." She exhaled in relief.

"I can send you tomorrow, my magic is a little weak right now." Derek nodded and gave a sincere smile. He stood up and walked back towards the hole leading up. She looked at him inquisitively which he caught.

"I thought I saw a bed up there so I was gonna get some shut eye. You don't mind do you?"

"Uh no, not at all. I just figured you would be more comfortable sleeping on my bed..." Her voice trailed off as she realized that she was seeming a bit forward and didn't want to risk scaring him off. He thought about it for a moment. It would get exhausting climbing up and down all the time and that bed was pretty comfy, plus if he was hungry and had some more delicious rabbit, it would pay off to be closer... maybe they have spices here.  
Derek's mouth began to water as he thought about food, something he always tended to do.

"Derek?" He shook his head as the calm voice invaded his ears.

"Hmm? Oh right, yeah I guess I could sleep down here. What could happen?"

'so much if you let me' Nightmare thought as he approached the bed. In a way it was good for him to be close to her as much as possible. Because of how much magic he had in him, she would absorb some of it. The closer they were, the more she got.

He climbed in first and got underneath the covers. The bed was surprisingly warm despite the thin blanket. She hesitantly walked closer with shaking hooves. Her nerves were starting to get the best of her. She stopped right next to the bed and stared at it like it was some strange creature. 'Come on Nightmare, you're a bucking goddess of the night. Not some common filth... just get in, get close and then-' Her thought was cut off as Derek reached across the bed, grabbed her and pulled her in. She squeaked in surprise from the sudden movement. It was definitely not expected. He held her close as he chuckled at her behavior.

"You know, for a supposed goddess of the night, you sure are a shy one." She lightly blushed and subtly huddled closer to him.

A few minutes passed and she felt sleep slowly begin to take her... until a certain asshole decided to mess with her. She felt his hand caress and stroke her side. She felt his breath against her neck, showing how close his mouth was.

"Out in the middle of the forest, no one around. Just me and you. Imagine what we could do..." She felt his lips brush against her neck. She was tempted to turn around and just take him then and there. All she wanted was to... "Too bad it won't happen." KICK HIM IN THE DICK! He laughed quietly as he got out of bed. She noticed that all he was wearing was a thin piece of clothing that covered his pelvis. 'When did he take his clothes off?'

She followed him outside where he sat on a stone block smoking a cigarette. He sat there looking up at the starlit sky with a small smile on his face.  
"I don't think there is anything in the world that I like better than the night sky. It always seemed to put my mind at ease." He looked over at her and let his smile widen. She looked away from him, trying to focus on anything but him. "Pink is a nice shade on you." He finished with a light chuckle. "We got a big day tomorrow huh?" She slowly nodded. Even though he agreed he would return, she still had her doubts. He stood up and patted her head as he walked passed her.  
"Might as well get some actual sleep then. Don't worry, I wont get you all hot and bothered this time." He said with a grin.

"Yeah... we should. But I swear if you do that again, you will regret it dearly." He laughed and waved a hand at her, dismissing her 'threat'.

"Sure I will Moony, sure I will." 


	2. Chapter 2

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/ A howl in the night/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

AN: I apologize for the shitty quality of this chapter. I had complications and I just had a hell of a time all around writing this. I hope you still enjoy it.

The night went well with little to no complications. The only issue was the occasional howl of a timberwolf that sounded incredibly close by. Nightmare assured Derek that they usually never come close to the castle which did little to calm his nerves. When Derek was little, he went camping and came across a wolf that definitely did not like him. The wolf was on him in seconds and had him pinned. If he wasn't with his uncle, Carlos, who decided it would be best to bring a gun, He could without a doubt be dead. Ever since that day, he was always scared of wolves.

Derek was finally able to slowly fall asleep once the howling dimmed down. He was glad to fall asleep since he knew it was going to be a big day today. He was going home for a bit and never returning. The thought of staying in a world of horses, away from humanity, no tech or anything he grew accustom to was troubling. He wasn't going to lie, he was scared of living in a new world that he knew absolutely nothing about. He knew that if he made himself known, he would more than likely be shunned from society.  
What about Nightmare? What happens when she doesn't need him anymore? In less than twenty-four hours they became pretty decent friends. The last thing he wanted was for her to abandon him.

He clenched his hand, attempting to hold back any tears that may form. Derek felt Nightmare shift to look at him. As he looked up, he noticed a look of worry on her face.

"Is everything alright?" He put on my best facade of a look that says 'I'm fine'.

"Yeah of course I am, why do you ask?"

"Because you're squeezing my leg. Quite hard actually." He followed her gaze as she looked at his hand that was clasped around her foreleg. He quickly pulled away and got out of bed.

"Sorry 'bout that. Just a little nervous I guess. I suppose I'm just a little skeptical about leaving everything behind." She got out of the bed and walked up to him. Placing a hoof on his shoulder, she let out a sigh that was heavy with disappointment.

"After all this is over..." She paused to find the courage to say the words. She hoped that if she told him that he would turn down the offer. "I will send you back if that is what you want." Derek looked at her with a surprised look plastered on his face. He figured that it's going to take quite a bit of work to accomplish what she wants, and after all that... he could just go home?

"Thanks but I..." She held her breath in hope he would turn down the offer of a lifetime. He took a deep breath before releasing a long sigh. "Thank you Nightmare." His tone sounded serious. She couldn't figure out if he accepted or not. Guess she will have to wait until it's all done.

"So are you ready, Derek?" He gave a nod and looked at the doorway. Nightmare powered her horn and shot her spell at the doorway, making a portal. "All you have to do is think about where you want to go," She said as she pulled out a box from under the bed. "Take this gem. When you are ready to come back, smash the gem at your feet and you will come back through the portal." He hesitated before taking the crystal. It looked similar to the inside of an amethyst. It looked just like the night sky. Dark blue with several sparkles scattered on it. To him it was alluring, almost hypnotic. It had a strong resemblance to her mane. Hell, even the stone swirled just like it.  
He turned around and stared at the portal before him that swirled like a whirlpool. The portal was filled with different shades of purples, blues and even a little pink. He slowly put one foot in front of the other as he crept towards it.  
The closer he got, the more he could feel it pulling him in.

"Here goes nothing!" He yelled as he decided to get it over with and sprinted at it.

He exited the portal, landing on his futon. Looking around, he smiled after realizing he was actually home. He splayed out on his bed and looked up at his ceiling. God how he missed his blank ceiling, his futon that tried to take his fingers as he moved it in, and his rather small room. As he lied there, he thought about whether he would have to go back. The thought bothered him but he didn't want to have her abandon him and end up being hurt, but the other way around might be different. There was a slight pang in his chest as he thought about it. He rubbed his head trying to make the now developing headache go away. His gaze drifted to his closet where he had duffle bags stored on the top shelf. He chewed on his bottom lip, contemplating what is the right choice.

"Ah shit." He sighed in defeat as he got up. That was one thing he didn't like about himself; He couldn't up and abandon someone. Even if they weren't human, there was no excuse for something like that.  
He started packing clothes and other necessities for a long a look at his watch, he deciding he had time for a run to the store.

Rummaging through the top drawer of his dresser, he pulled out a coffee can that was filled with cash that he saved up for emergencies. After some thought, he decided to take all the money.  
With a pocket filled five hundred dollars, he decided to get some groceries since he almost felt bad for having Moony kill that squirrel. After groceries, a quick stop to a gun store for some ammunition for his gun.

As it began to snow, he looked up at the dark sky and as much as he hated to admit it he was going to miss Minnesota.

"I guess what they say is true, you never know what you have until it's gone." After getting some bullets, he still had about two hundred dollars left and figured a carton or two of smokes would be good. With all the shopping done, he decided now would be a good time to go back.  
Racing home to gather his clothes he clutched the bags and the stone in his hands. He continued to ask himself if he was really leaving for good.

The run home was cold and pretty much boring. His bags of clothes were right where he left them on his futon. Throwing the stone on the floor about a foot or two away from him, a portal similar to the one he used to come home appeared in the center of his room. He began tossing his bags through one by one. Reaching under his bed, he grabbed his gun. It was a simple glock, nothing really special. Taking a deep breath, he jumped in. Just before going through, he realized the portal he went through was vertical and this one is horizontal.

As Nightmare Moon looked at his bags, a loud yell echoed from the portal. Seconds after said yell, Derek launched through, parallel to the ground. Land on his back with a loud thud and letting out a groan in pain.

"Derek!" She yelled as she rushed over to him. "Are you okay?" He only nodded with his lips pursed. He slowly got up and rubbed his back. Word to the wise, landing on a gun directly on your spine hurts like a bitch.

"Well, I finally have everything I need I think." He pulled the gun out of the waistband of his pants and tossed it on the bed. "Please remind me to never do that shit again. I hate teleporting with a burning passion that rivals the depths of hell now." She rolled her eyes at him and looked at his bags. To her it seemed like he was practically moving in for good, but she new better than to jump to conclusions.

"So I was hoping that either tonight or tomorrow we can get started on our objective. Patience is definitely not a virtue I posses and we have wasted enough time as is," Nightmare said as she paced around the room, clearly frustrated with how slow everything is going. She was in high hopes that things would be quick and simple.  
Derek nodded in approval to advance. He wasn't sure what exactly he would be doing but it wouldn't be hard... right?

"So what will our first move be exactly?"

"It would be foolish to rush in with no course of action correct?" She asked, getting another nod of approval. "What you need to do is recon. To defeat thy enemies, one must know thy enemies," Derek shrugged his shoulders as an understanding. He couldn't argue with that logic, it made perfect sense. "You have a total of six ponies you need to observe. Two pegasi, two unicorns, and two earth ponies. The only one you would have major complications with is the pegasus who lives in the clouds. From my understanding, their names are Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie pie, and Applejack." Derek mentally noted each of their names. Nightmare went on describing who they are exactly. He found the name Elements of Harmony to be a strange yet funny name.

Once she finished her lesson on what she knew they were capable of, which she didn't know much, she said it would best to begin tonight to get the task at hand out of the way.  
Standing up and stretching, he decided it would be best to wear more quiet and loose fitting clothes to allow better movement. He rummaged through his bags to find the best options. He pulled out a pair of black sweat pants and a black muscle shirt. Without caring, he stripped down in front of her. She turned as fast as her body would let her, not only out of embarrassment and common courtesy, but to hide the blush that pierced through her dark coat.

"Should we invest in a changing room of some sort?" He whispered in her ear in a more seductive way than he intended, sending chills of somewhat pleasure up her spine.

"Perhaps we should. You know... Just so we can at least keep some sort of decency around here." He chuckled at how she tried to act calm about it.

"I'm dressed now, you can turn around." As she turned, her eyes fixated on the man before her. His muscle shirt clung to his well toned torso. He didn't have a six pack, but there was definitely some muscle tone there. His exposed arms showed off the results of constant upper body work. His sweat pants didn't show anything but she could infer that they were more than likely toned as well. To finish his ensemble, he sported a pair of fingerless gloves that had skulls on the back of them and a holster that held his gun.

Nightmare gaped at his body. She couldn't believe that she was actually attracted to his looks. It was so alien to her, yet she couldn't get her mind out of the gutter. Thoughts of him doing things she didn't really imagine to her raced through her mind.

"Hey Moony?" He snapped her out of her trance by calling her by her pet name that she didn't really mind too much, and snapping his fingers in front of her face. When he finally had her attention, he turned in place to show his clothes of choice off to her. "Is this good enough?"

"...Very..." She mumbled under her breath. Shaking her head clear of the images, she gave him a clear answer. "I suppose that could work. At least you will blend into the night perfectly." 'Perfect is right'.

"That's good. Give me a direction and I will be on my way," He said with a smile. She walked him outside and pointed in the direction of Ponyville.

"It will take about two to three hours to get there walking."

"Well then, it's a good thing I prefer running," He said before taking off in a sprint.  
He was out of sight in a matter of seconds as he ran through the tree line. As the distance between them increase, so did the loneliness inside of her. The thing she found strange was that it wasn't just an emotional feeling, but physical as well. Deciding it was probably nothing, she set to work on restoring her castle to it's former glory. After all, can't be queen living in such a mess right?

As Derek ran through the forest, he got an annoying empty feeling inside that screamed at him to turn back. He ignored it and pressed on to his objective at hand. Because of his ability to maneuver through obstacles easily, he made it to the outskirts of town in about an hour to an hour and a half. He was out of breath and needed a rest after sprinting most of the time. Every now and then he had to slow his pace on the way there just so he wasn't so exhausted when he arrived. As he sat on the hill, he gazed up at the night sky. The stars shined brilliantly down upon him and the town. Strangely enough, he felt at home in a sense. It was like this was where he belonged. There was only one place before that made him feel this way, and he loved the feeling, the feeling of belonging.

After catching his breath, he stood up and looked at his destination. "Whelp, lets get this done.

Cleaning up went without a hitch... sort of. With in about two hours she was able to clean up most of the bedroom. Stones that were unable to be used again were placed near the cliff, while ones that could be used again were right outside the castle.  
Looking at the bed, she thought about attempting to sew it back together herself but decided against it in case she ruined it even more. She wondered if Derek knew how to sew. She looked back at the wood pile and noticed it running quite low.

"I'm sure I have time to make a run out and get some more." She figured she still had enough magic left in her to fend off any creatures that dare underestimate her.  
She stepped out into the cold night air, breathing in the scent of nature around her. She could sense that autumn was almost here. Giving a smile, she walked towards the bridge. She began feeling giddy about autumn being just around the corner. It happened to be her favorite season since it wasn't too hot or cold and it made night all the more beautiful.  
The bridge creaked beneath her hooves with each step she took. She would have just turned into smoke if it weren't for the fact that it would drain her magic immensely.  
The silent night began to wake as howls echoed through the forest. Chills ran through her body as fear began to set in. Usually the timberwolves would be staying clear of the vicinity of the castle, but it appeared that they were becoming desperate.

After some time of searching, she found a fallen tree that seemed not as rotten as the others. She began breaking off the larger branches and held them up with her magic.  
Once she had as much as she could carry, she began her trek back home. The further she went, the more ominous her surroundings became. Every now and them she could see gold orbs peering at her from the tree line. Her fear began to increase once she heard growling from behind her. She turned slowly and saw three of the wolves staring at her with their mouths dripping with green saliva. Her breath caught in her throat as one began to step towards her.  
She snapped herself out of her fear trance and swung the branches at it, knocking it back a few feet.

"Did you foals honestly think you would be able to take me so easily?" She raised the branches above her her head, ready to swing again. She heard something drop behind her and turned around. Her magic was drained and was rendered powerless. Looking back at her attackers, she smiled sheepishly and slowly began to back away.  
The wolves roared ferociously as they charged at her. Nightmare turned as fast as she could and took off as fast as her legs could take her.  
Her legs burned as she ran faster than she has before. Only one thing was on her mind and it screamed. "Help me Derek!".

She was terrified as she heard them catching up to her, She could almost feel them breathing on her neck. Before she could do anything, she felt her hooves leave the ground. Her body collided with with cold hard ground with her assailant on top of her. When her attacker did hurt her, she hesitantly opened her eyes and saw the one pony she needed most. Derek lied on top of her with a strange look in his eyes. His iris went from being hazel to a crystal-like dark blue that glittered like the stars of her night. He panted hard as if he ran none stop to get to her.  
He quickly pushed himself up and stared at the wolves who were chasing her. He clenched his exposed teeth as he sprinted at them.

Nightmare noticed something off about him. His hands and feet resonated with an aura that resembled her mane flawlessly. She gaped at his display of speed and strength as he leveled them out.  
No matter how many he fended off, more came after him. Deciding it was hopeless, he turned, ran towards her and picked her up. He ran faster than she did even while he carried her. The bridge soon came into view as they ran for what seemed like only seconds. As he crossed, the bridge creaked more than when she crossed. As they reached the center, the boards beneath them snapped in half, causing them to plummet towards the abyss below. She watched as the river came closer. Time seemed to slow as her impending death approached within seconds. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see it coming... only it didn't. She felt pressure around her arm before she stopped abruptly. She slammed against the wall with her wing taking most of the pressure. She heard and felt the crack as her wing broke from the sudden impact. She held back the scream of pain as she tried to drown out the pain.  
Curiosity got the best of her, making her look up and see what caught her. She looked up to see Derek and noticed his hand clasped around her leg while his other held on to the rope firmly.  
Derek looked around for a way up. His eyes followed the river and after assessing their situation, he sighed.

"Get ready to take a deep breath, Nightmare." Before she could respond to him, he let go.  
The rapids below came closer at an alarming speed. Within moments, she was engulf in water. She emerged out of the water with Derek holding on to her tightly. As they went down stream, he took all the damage from the rocks. He stifled pained grunts as best as he could, but allowed a few yells of pain to escape his lips.

The onslaught continued for some time until they stopped moving. Derek grabbed on to a tree that fell into the water and was held in place by a few boulders. Mustering up all the strength he could, he pulled her up on to the tree and followed after.

Nightmare sat underneath a blanket next to the fire pit while Derek began lighting a fire with their remaining wood. The fire roared to life after striking the piece of flint a few times. He walked, limped actually, to where she was. He grunted as he sat down next to her where they sat in silence for some time.  
When the silence became too much for her, she tossed the blanket over him and pulled him close. She nuzzled his neck before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you so much for saving me. You don't know how grateful I am." She whispered as she held back tears. He put an arm around her and pulled her close to him. He kissed her cheek as well and rested his head against hers.

"I think I actually do know. I don't know how to explain it but I knew you were in trouble. I heard you call for me."  
Derek thought about what happened before he came to her rescue. He remembered standing outside of a cottage before his surroundings went from a cottage to running through a forest calling for him.  
"I felt your fear. I'm not sure how, but I did and I knew you needed help."

Nightmare looked at him. She wasn't sure if it was just the heat of the moment, but she felt what she believed was love. She looked him in his eyes, which were back to normal, and slowly leaned in.  
Derek felt compelled to lean in as well. She felt his lips brush against hers before they closed the remaining distance between them. 


	3. Chapter 3

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/ Complications/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

The clopping of hooves on the marble floor echoed through the castle of Canterlot. The pure white royal sister walked casually down the halls to her beloved sister's bed chambers. Two guards stood positioned outside her door that was made of a dark mahogany wood. With a nod of her head, Celestia dismissed the guards. She raised her hoof to knock. Before her hoof could land, Luna's voice came from within, telling her to enter.  
Celestia opened the door and looked for her sister. The room was a mixed of multiple dark colors from shades of blue, purple and black. Luna's ceiling was painted black and had constellations painted on it that were enchanted to move and glisten like her actual night sky.  
Celestia's room was the opposite and it stuck with brighter colors with her ceiling resembling the day.  
On the balcony stood her sister who gazed out at the rising sun. Her stars were just barely beginning to hide themselves from the glowing orb.  
"How are you today Luna?" The moon princess stood there stoic with a blank expression plastered on her elegant face. Breaking her current demeanor, she sighed and let her shoulders slump along with her head. It became obvious to Celestia that her dear sister was troubled. "You can talk to me about your problems, you know this very well."  
"I fear that something has come into this world. Something as dark as... Nightmare Moon's heart. I could feel it since yesterday. At first I thought it was a small magical discharge from the old castle, but now I'm not so sure. Last night there was a spike in the magic. It seems to keep growing with each passing moment," Luna said before taking a deep breath. "You don't think she is still out there, planning to rise against us once again do you?" Celestia draped her wing over her sister and embraced her in a comforting embrace that only a mother, or in this case a sister, could give.  
"I do not think she is. If she is, how far do you think she could get. She was defeated by the elements of harmony twice now. I don't think she would be so foolish to try again." Luna nodded, figuring that it would be pointless to argue with her. Despite her "agreeing" with her sister, one thought nagged at the back of her mind.  
"Third time's the charm..." Celestia left Luna's room shortly, leaving the moon goddess alone with her thoughts. "I can't simply let this go without looking in to these occurrences," Luna said out loud. "GUARDS!" She yelled, calling for the ones positioned outside her room. They sprinted inside and stood side by side, waiting for her orders.  
"What seems to be the problem your high-"  
"SILENCE!" She ordered them. The one speaking quickly shut his mouth and pursed his lips to keep any stray words from escaping "I need you both to go to the old castle ruins and do recon. Report back to me once you have completed this task. It would be best to keep my sister oblivious to your mission. Now go!" Without question, the guards saluted and ran out to complete their objective.  
Luna walked back out on her balcony and soon saw her guards take flight to their destination.

Warmth was the first thing Derek could feel waking up. He could feel another body against him, only this time, judging by the slow breathing on his chest, that whoever he was with was sleeping. He cracked an eye open, looking at the beautiful mare huddled up to him. He brushed the back of his fingers against her soft cheek. He stopped midway through the gesture and clenched his hand into a fist. He relaxed his hand and brushed his shaggy black hair back and sighed quietly.  
"What am I thinking? We're a completely different species. Can I actually fall in love with a fucking pony?!" He thought deeply about whether what he did last was right. He wasn't sure if he regretted kissing her or not. It was all they did before falling to sleep in each other's embrace so they didn't go too far.  
He slowly unfurled himself from her legs, attempting to not wake her up. Once he successfully freed himself, he looked at the fire pit that was now just embers. He figured he should be the one to get wood so they don't have a relapse of what happened last night.  
He stepped out and felt a cool breeze he recognized. Autumn had come and he gave a soft smile. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one. Inhaling deeply, breathing in the smooth menthol. As he exhaled, he heard the soft clopping of hooves. He turned around and saw Nightmare coming up to him, taking note of her bed head (mane?). She gave him a small smile as she walked up to him.  
"Do you always leave a mare after one night?" She finished with a giggle, which was actually pretty cute. Derek also noticed her voice become more upbeat and happier; contrasting to what her voice had been like when they first met.  
Derek placed his hand on her cheek and began stroking it with his thumb, a simple gesture to which Nightmare enjoyed. She smiled and moaned happily with her eyes closed as she pressed her face into his hand. "I would never abandon a mare like you," He said as he leaned in close, almost kissing her. "You're much too fun to tease." He pulled back, making her stumble, showing that she was leaning in as well to kiss him. She playfully glared at him before laughing.  
"You're quite the ass Derek." He gasped and held his chest with one hand while the other rested on his forehead and leaned back dramatically.  
"You wound me with your cruel words. I thought you cared for me but I guess not." He began walking away while pretending to hold back tears.  
"Oh yes, I don't care for you. That is exactly why I make you sleep on the bed instead of the cold hard floor." They stayed silent for a moment before bursting out in a fit of laughter.  
Nightmare began to realize that she actually seemed happy.  
"Come on, let's go for a walk. My guess is that those wolves won't be back for a while. I say we could use a break from all this bullshit that we have been going through." She nodded enthusiastically. How could she argue with a break after what happened last night?  
He stood next to her and put his arm around her. She huddled against him as they began their walk.  
Because the sun was just rising, the part of the forest they were in was illuminated in an orange glow that accented to now changing leaves. Looking at her, Derek noticed her beautiful smile. For as long as he had been there, this was the happiest he saw her. With her being happy, he was happy.  
They walked for what seemed like an hour before deciding to rest underneath a large oak tree, or at least what seemed like an oak. Derek sat there with Nightmare resting her head on his lap while he stroked her ethereal mane. Despite it being nothing but magic, it still had a solid, almost liquid, feeling to it.  
After a moment, she appeared to have fallen asleep. He was surprised to admit it, but he thought what he felt was legitimate love.  
After that thought, he felt a strange sensation in his hand. Pulling his hand from her mane, he noticed a strange aura that looked like her mane flowing into his hand. He would have freaked out if it weren't for the fact that it was actually calming and felt good.  
"What is this?" He asked himself, expecting something inside him to know the answer.  
"My essence in a way…" Nightmare said.  
"Well that isn't perverted." He said sarcastically. She sat up and faced him with a soft yet serious look.  
"I'm serious," She said in one of the calmest voices he heard. "Essence like that can only be transferred under certain circumstances."  
"And how is that." He was now intrigued to find out what was happening. She leaned closer to him. Her breath caressed his lips as she got closer. He could feel his breath catching in his throat. She swallowed hard and tilted her head to the side, still slowly getting closer.  
"It only happens... to those... who fall in-"  
"I heard a voice over here!" She was cut off by an unfamiliar voice calling throughout the forest. Her eyes went wide after catching a glimpse of blue-black and purple armor passing through the brush.  
"Hide," She said in a hushed voice as she turned into a purple wisp of smoke and disappeared into the ground. He quickly got up and climbed the tree.  
Underneath him passed two ponies that looked like they would be guards. They were equipped in gold armor and had swords. Both of them seemed to be unicorns. Derek tried to get higher in the tree to get more out of sight. Before he could get any higher, the branch he grabbed snapped, making him fall to the ground in between both guards. He raised both hands slowly as he realized that they both had their swords to his neck.  
"Hiya fellas, how ya doing?" Derek said, trying to play it cool.  
"Rise monster!"  
"I would prefer not being called a monster and I would definitely prefer the ground, it's pretty comfy."  
"I said RISE!" He slowly sat up before standing.  
"So what seems to be the problem officer? I promise I only had a few drinks." One of the swords pressed against his throat as a warning. "Okay so I take it you're not in the mood for jokes."  
"Walk." The guard told him.  
"Great. More walking, just what I wanted." The guards lead him to a barred carriage that was used for transporting criminals. One guard opened the gate and gestured him to get in by cocking his head slightly. "Yeah, I would prefer not to." The guard behind him picked him up with magic and through him inside, making him slam against the back. The cage door quickly slammed shut and locked as soon as he was in.  
When the guards latched themselves to the carriage, the slow journey to town began.  
Derek Sat there for about a half an hour before purple smoke appeared in his mobile cell. The smoke took a solid form, becoming the mare he was falling for.  
"What are you doing here, Nightmare?" She quickly wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him into a loving embrace.  
"I couldn't leave you. Wherever they take you, I'm going with." Derek pushed her back gently and looked her in her teal eyes that began to water.  
"I can't let you come with me. If they catch you with me, who knows what they would do?" Nightmare let her head hang in sorrow. Derek lifted her head up to eye level. He gave her a kiss that was quick but was filled with passion. As soon as he pulled away, she felt empty once again. "I give you my word that I will come back. I will not leave you no matter what happens." He gave her one last hug. When he let go, she sniffled and tried to fight back the tears.  
"Please come back unharmed." She told him, still fighting back the urge to cry.  
"I will." Noticing how hard she was trying to refrain from crying, he brushed her hair back. "Remember. Crying does not make you weak, in fact it shows you are strong. It shows that you felt pain and you have fought through it to become who you are today." With those words spoken to her, she finally broke. Letting go, she broke down. She buried her face in his chest as she continued. "You should go before it's too late." She pulled away and nodded before becoming smoke again and left.  
He watched her form in the tree line, still out of sight. Derek could only think of one thing and he hoped that she could somehow hear him. "Remember that I love you, Nightmare Moon. Don't let anything or anyone make you forget or doubt that."  
Unknown to Derek, Nightmare heard it word for word. "And I love you, Derek Mars."  



	4. Chapter 4

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/ Interrogation and loving embraces (Contains lemon)/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

Quiet yet heavy thuds echoed throughout the tree located in Ponyville. Down in the basement of said tree, Derek was being interrogated in a rather tough way. He barely had any time to regain his composure before the guards that dragged him down there continued to pummel him inside a large burlap sack he was shoved in when forced out of the carriage. The abuse stopped for a bit before Derek heard a door open followed by the sound of hoofsteps. Soon after, he could smell burning coals and the sound of metal clanging together along with the coals being shuffled around.  
"Judging by the large sack, you are no ordinary pony. Perhaps a diamond dog?" Despite being unable to see, he could tell the one talking to him was female. Derek also inferred by the tone of voice that she was regal or at least high class... or just really full of herself.  
"Not a pony, and I have no clue what the hell a diamond dog is. Care for a guess behind door number three?" His response was swift kick in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him once again. Derek coughed hard, tasting blood.  
"THOU SHALL NOT SPEAK UNLESS ORDERED TO!" Her voice roared through the room, causing everything to shake and rattle. Despite the pain, Derek sat up while taking shaky breaths with every move.  
"I think I busted an ear drum. Hope you feel better."  
"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU!?"  
"Damn girl, I can just imagine your orgasm." The pony before him went silent before walking away.  
"Get him on the table, and take that sack off him." Derek was hoisted into the air by the guards magic and slammed down on the table that lied only a few feet from where he was. The sack was pulled off him and his arms and legs were strapped down as soon as he was exposed. The table was large enough for him to be strapped down spread eagle. Derek looked towards the end of the table and saw that the mare was facing away from him. She was dark blue and had a mane that looked exactly like Nightmare's. This of course piqued Derek's interest. Questions ran through his mind as he saw more similarities such as the mark on her flank.  
"All ready your highness."  
"Speaking of hind asses, you got a nice one," Derek said. He could tell her body went tense; just the response he was hoping for.  
"What did you say?!" The mare asked before continuing. As she spoke, she turned. "I am a princess and I will not accept such... vulgar... comments..." Her expression went from angry to utter shock and surprise as her voice trailed off. Her jaw agape and her eyes wide. She was left speechless once she made eye contact with the creature before her. Unable to resist, Derek made a quick kissing face directed at her in hopes to get another reaction. Her eyes widened and even though it was hard to see, she was blushing very slightly.  
Derek smiled, happy with the reaction he got. "No need to blush sweet cheeks. Tell you what, play nice and I'll make your other cheeks red." He finished with a grin and giving a wink.  
Rage, anger... emptiness. That is all Nightmare felt at the moment. The one she loved taken from her by Canterlot's 'finest'. Images of the things she wants to do to the princesses raced through her mind, some of them even slightly sickened her. Walking through the forest, passing the tree where they rested, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched.  
Nightmare quickly became smoke and hid in the ground. After a few moments passed, she could feel the ground around her shift then the movement stopped. Even though her stalker couldn't hear her, Nightmare held her breath in hopes the pony or whatever it was would leave.  
"I know you're here, Nightmare Moon. I would appreciate it if you would show yourself." The pony called out. The pony masked their voice with a spell to hide the gender flawlessly. Nightmare didn't even think about showing herself. The risk was too high if guards were just here. "Please, I promise no harm or conflict will come to you." The pony waited for a response but received nothing.  
The pony sighed and accepted defeat. "Very well. Just please listen to what I have to say. I have information on the creature who came here." Nightmares interest piqued as she heard these words. Cautiously, she emerged in the shadows next to the large tree to see who the pony was. Unfortunately the pony was hidden by an odd magic that completely blackened the caster, getting rid of the mane and tail and making them average height as to make their illusion that much better.  
"Speak now or you will regret coming here." Nightmare spoke up, taking her chances. The pony began looking around for the source of the voice. Lucky for Nightmare, she couldn't find her. She used her magic to amplify her voice so it echoed around the forest only where they were.  
"As I said, I do not wish for conflict. I only wish to inform you that he is in being held by Princess Luna. In the home of one Twilight Sparkle. I suppose she used her home since she is currently in the Crystal empire on business. She won't be back for some time so she used the opportunity to use her sound proof basement," The pony said as Nightmare listened carefully. "I'm afraid that is all I can tell you." Nightmare swallowed hard. She was terrified that Luna may harm him. But then again, as far as Nightmare knew, Luna wasn't violent.  
"What can I do? If I were to show myself, he would only be in even more trouble than he already is. I'm completely useless." Nightmare could feel a tear stream down her cheek. "There is nothing I can do to help." Nightmare didn't realize her voice spell faltered until she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She didn't look up. She kept her head down to avoid showing how distraught she had become. She was surprised that she went from filled with anger to filled with sorrow. The hoof snaked around her neck and pulled her into a hug.  
"Do not worry about that." The pony whispered. "I know someone who can help. Just be prepared for his arrival."  
"Oh baby harder, daddy likes." Derek mocked as Luna struck him in the side. She stopped her assault and turned towards the grill that was placed in the corner.  
"I know you know something, creature." Her voice was filled with disgust. Derek could hear metal being pulled out. "And I will go to extremes to get that information."  
"You're right, I do know things. Just not what you're looking for." Derek smiled at her, having fun messing with her. "You know, it's amazing what fear can do. You're willing to go through with so much just to find out something that more than likely doesn't exist." Luna took a deep breath attempting to clear her mind.  
"Those appendages extending out of your arms, are those useful?" Derek looked at his hands and shrugged the best he could.  
"I suppose they are. They help me out a lot. Why, you interested?" Derek had to admit it, he was definitely enjoying himself.  
"In a sense yes." She turned around and held with her magic was a knife with the blade being red hot from being in the coals for so long. Derek's enjoyment faded as she got closer with every shaky step. Derek pulled at his restraints in attempt to break free.  
"Look lady, you don't want to do this. Just put the knife down and we can act like this never happened." Derek wanted nothing more than to get out of this at the moment.  
"You are right, I don't want to do this. That is why I will give you one last chance to tell me what I want to know." He kept his eyes on the knife. He took ragged breaths as she still got closer. He closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath.  
"I don't know anything. Just like I said before." Luna shook her head in disappointment.  
"Very well then." She raised the knife in preparation to strike. Time seemed to slow as the knife charged towards his hand. His body tensed as he closed his eyes, bracing for excruciating pain. Derek heard metal scraping against more metal. To his surprise, there was no pain... no blood either, at least not his. He cracked one eye open and saw another pony, one that wasn't there before, glaring at Luna. Shifting his eyes towards his hand, he noticed the blade cut through the gold metal. A small trail of blood leaked out of the hoof piece.  
"What do you think you are doing Luna? Harming an innocent creature? Abusing said creature? I honestly thought you were above this!" The white pony's glare hardened as Luna let go of the knife and backed away.  
"Sister please, I know he is affiliated with Nightmare Moon! He is just as evil as she is, can't you feel the darkness within him?"  
"You wound me with such cruel words."  
"Please be silent." The white pony said as she released the restraints. Derek sat up and rubbed his sore wrists. He looked between them as they all stayed silent. "Come now, we are leaving."  
Derek was on a flying chariot after being escorted out by the pony named Celestia. He was unsure where they were going, either way he was happy to be away from that lunatic. He wasn't sure why Celestia intervened but he sure as hell was glad she did. Timing could have been better but better late than never right?  
"Hey thanks for saving my ass from your sister. Is your hoof okay?" Celestia looked at her hoof. The cut was shallow, practically a scrape. The bleeding stopped shortly after leaving the basement.  
"Yes I am fine. How about yourself? You seem to have taken quite the beating."  
"I can take it, she hits like a bitch anyways." Celestia laughed and turned towards him. They were now passing over the Everfree forest. He could see the tree where he and Nightmare laid together before his capture. His attention was drawn to Celestia when he heard her chuckle. He gave her a confused looked when he saw a sincere smile.  
"She's waiting for you." She said in a calm voice. There was anger, coldness, or sadness. There was only happiness in it. Derek tensed up, unsure of what to do or say.  
"I'm going to tell you what I said to your sister, I don't know-" Before he could finish, Celestia kicked him out of the chariot "BITCH!" He yelled as he plummeted to the ground. Despite falling to his impending doom, he could only wonder why she kicked him out.  
"DEREK!" Derek turned his head to where the voice came from. All he could see was a large cloud of purple smoke charging at him at full speed. The smoke took a solid shape of a pony. The pony he loved. Nightmare tackled him out of the air, making them slide on the ground... for quite a distance.  
"I missed you so much! It makes me so happy that you're okay, you're not hurt are you? 'Cause if you are then so help me I will rip that bitches horn off and shove it so far up her-"  
"Mooney, relax I'm fine. You have nothing to be worried about." Derek told her as their sliding came to a stop. He gently caressed her cheek as he gave her a smile.  
"I'm just glad you're okay. I was so worried about you." Nightmare smiled, now crying tears of joy. They both leaned in towards each other, embracing each other in a tender kiss.  
After their long tender kiss, Nightmare pulled away, looking into his grey eyes. She couldn't explain it, but when she looked into those eyes of his, she felt at ease.  
"Believe me babe, I would love to continue this but I am insanely sore and I definitely need to relax." Nightmare nodded and got off of him.  
"Come with me, I know a place that has all you need to relax." They walked in silence his arm around her, comforting her, and he was all she wanted.  
The ruins came into view shortly after, only instead of going inside, Nightmare lead him behind the castle. They both walked down a hidden path that brought them underneath the castle.  
They soon entered a large cavern that was lined with crystals of blues, greens, and reds. in the center of the cave was a large pool of water reflecting the light from a skylight upon the crystals, making the room illuminate. Derek couldn't believe that something so beautiful could lie beneath these ruins. He walked towards the water while stripping out of his clothes. He was nude and in the water within seconds. The water was deep enough to where the water almost submerged all of his thighs.  
He began splashing the water on himself and scrubbing to remove any dirt he has on him and instead of feeling sore and in utter pain from the beating he got, he felt better almost instantly. The bruises vanished before his eyes, and the cuts and scars faded from his body.  
"Welcome to the revitalizing waters." Derek turned back and noticed Nightmare getting in the water with him. He turned away and covered his genitals.  
"Sorry, I didn't think you would be joining me." He watched the water ripple around him before feeling a hoof rest on his shoulder.  
"And why wouldn't I join the love of my life." He turned to face her. Looking at, and getting lost, in her teal eyes. He felt as if he belonged, as if he was home. He leaned in slow and kissed her gently, caressing her soft lips. Their simple kissing lead to making out, letting their tongues explore each other.  
Nightmare pulled back and gave him a seductive smile. Using her magic, she used her magic to lift him to the edge where he now sat. Looking at the mare before him, he watched as she sashayed towards him. He could feel a stirring in his loins as she did so.  
Once she was right in front of him, she could tell he was at full mast, if not almost. She rested her hooves on his lap and looked up at him with half lidded eyes. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss before kissing down his neck, chest and so forth. She was soon face to face with his engorged member. She gently nuzzled up and down the length of his shaft slowly before giving the head a wet kiss. She went back down with her lips lightly grazing it. Starting at the base, she gave him a long and slow lick, making him gasp in pure bliss. As she reached the head, she took it in her mouth and lightly sucked. Derek lightly groaned in pleasure as she continued giving him oral treatment. She mentally smiled to herself, happy with how well she is doing. To give him more, she began swirl her tongue around the tip. She looked up at him and smiled before taking his entire length in her mouth. His back arched as shocks of ecstasy coursed through his body. He watched as her head bobbed.  
She could tell by the look on his face that he was close. She paid close attention to his facial expression for signs of his climax. Once she was sure he was going to cum, she buried her muzzle in his groin while he came. She could feel the strands of semen shooting down her throat. She pulled back slowly and let the rest fill her mouth. It had a bland yet slight salty taste, not bad in her opinion. She swallowed and licked her lips for any that she may have missed.  
"That... was amazing. Pretty talented for a first timer." She smiled as she got off him and leaned over the edge of the rim of the pool, leaving her hind legs in the water.  
"Care to return the favor love?" She asked as she flicked her tail side to side. Derek got back in the water and behind her. Easing himself down on his knees, he was head level with her rear and had clear sight of her sopping wet hole. Using his thumbs, he spread her hole, getting her to moan in response. The musky scent filled his nose as he leaned in. He gave her a lick from top to bottom. She took a deep breath as his tongue continued to service her.  
"Mmm...more... Please give me more..." Nightmare Moon begged.  
Derek increased his pace. The only attention she ever got was her hoof, she had to admit that this was much better. He inserted his tongue and swirled it around inside, getting Nightmare to moan and almost scream in pleasure. Her body tensed as she neared her climax. She bit her lip in hopes to avoid screaming, but it was useless. She let out a loud scream that echoed throughout the cave as she came. Derek swallowed as much as he could, and what he couldn't drink, poured down his chin and neck.  
Derek stood up and was about to say something but was interrupted by Nightmare. She grabbed him and kissed him hard before licking his neck and chin to get all that he missed.  
"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you enjoyed it." Nightmare's response was charging her horn.  
"Yes I did. And we are definitely not done." In a flash, they found themselves in the bed chamber. Nightmare was already laying on her back on the bed with her legs spread apart, exposing her sex.  
"Now get over here and rut me like there is no tomorrow." Derek didn't need to be told twice. He got on the bed and got on his knees in front of her. He positioned the head against her slit that was still very well lubricated. He slowly slid himself inside her. To his surprise, she was incredibly tight. He almost had to force himself to get half way. She clenched her teeth as he filled her.  
He leaned down and kissed her. While she was lost in the kiss, he placed his hands on her waist and forced the rest of himself in with one swift thrust. Her back arched and she wanted to scream in both pain and pleasure, but her voice was caught in her throat. She soon regained her composure and nodded as confirmation for Derek to continue. He pulled back slightly and pushed back in with a slow and soft thrust.  
As he picked up speed, the more he pulled out to the point that it was only his head inside. Nightmare wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him close. She burrowed her mouth against his neck muffling her loud moans as they were edging closer and closer to screams of pure ecstasy . She began to bite his neck softly at first, but once her second orgasm neared, her biting became harder.  
As Derek's thrusting became harder and faster, he hit the one spot in her that was the most sensitive. She bit down almost as hard as she could as she screamed. The biting brought him over the edge and he came forcefully inside her.  
He pulled out with a soft popping noise and lied down next to her, their love juices slowly trickling out of her. The ruins becoming filled with their panting.  
"We should probably wash up." Nightmare spoke up after their brief moment of silence.  
"Yeah, we should. But right now," Derek said as he pulled her close to him. "I just want to lay here with mare I love." As they lied in each other's embrace, one question nagged at the back of Nightmare's mind.  
"Derek, what made you decide to stay so quickly?" Derek thought back to the moment he decided that he was going to stay. The only thing that came to mind was all that happened in such a short time. He chuckled and smiled at her.  
"A fresh start."


	5. Chapter 5

/-/  
/ Public reveal part 1/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

Derek awoke in Nightmare Moon's embrace and steady breathing. She lay there, still deep in slumber as he watched her sleep. He gently brushed her cheek with his fingers, a sensation he could never get tired of. He smiled and thought about three words: 'A fresh start.' Derek wondered how the ponies will react to his and Nightmare Moon's arrival. Was there a way to make everything okay between Nightmare Moon and the rest of the ponies? He slowly made his way out of the bed, careful not to wake Nightmare Moon.  
He put on a pair of grey pants and his boots before making his way outside. The autumn air had a slight nip to it but was bearable. Derek turned his head to the east towards the rising sun.  
The sun was rising behind a large mountain, silhouetting them along with what looked like a city on the side. To him, the city raised some questions. He wondered what it would be like to live there instead of the forest. Derek liked forests, but one can take so much of a forest before deciding to say, 'the hell with it'.  
Derek pulled out his pack of cigarettes and went to grab one. Before he could grab one, however, he felt something small bump against his hand. Derek looked at his hand, a purple mist was forming at his finger tips. Out of curiosity, he pointed at the cigarette and focused. He figured that if he thought about what he wanted it to do, it would happen. And sure enough, it worked..in excess. The next thing he knew, his cigarette rocketed towards the sky, disappearing out of sight. "Well, that could have gone better."  
-scene change-  
Nightmare awoke reaching her hoof out and grasping nothing. She rose out of bed, not caring for her disheveled mane. Slowly opening her eyes she scanned the room for her missing bed-mate. Stretching her limbs, with an occasional wing flap she made her way out of bed. She walked outside and was met by Derek who was staring towards the sky. Making her way towards him she said, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Derek replied.  
Nightmare Moon was now standing next to him and began to stare towards the sky as well. They both stood there for some time, silence.

An occasional wing flap, some breathing, more silence.  
Several minutes go by...more silence.  
"What are we waiting for?" Nightmare asked, breaking the silence.  
"My cigarette. I launched it in the air on accident. Just learned I can do magic."  
Silence returns...with a vengeance.  
Derek breaks the silence.  
"Hey Mooney?"  
"Hmm?"  
"What is that castle place on the mountain?"  
"Canterlot," Nightmare said with a disgusted tone. "The home of the snobbish ponies and the rulers of Equestria."  
"By rulers you mean Celestia and Luna?" Nightmare nodded without saying a word. "Perfect." Nightmare was taken aback by his choice of words. She wanted to question him but couldn't find the words when she noticed him already dressed. He wore a tan undershirt and a blue-grey button up shirt over it. Derek turned his attention away from the sky and began walking east.

"Where do you think you're going?" Derek turned towards her and smiled.

"Well I figured that I would pay them a visit. You know, be a friendly neighbor and junk," Derek said with matter of fact tone.

"Nope. No no no! There is no way in Tartarus that you are going anywhere near that place. You would have to be completely insane to even think about it."

"I thought you liked crazy?"

"There is a difference between crazy and messed up in the head." She simply stated.

"Then I'm one messed up mother fucker," Derek said, still wearing his cocky smile. Nightmare shook her head in defeat and began to walk away. "Tell you what, if it makes you feel better, you can come with me."

"And now you belong in an asylum. You do realize that everyone on the face of this planet knows and hates me right?"

"Exactly my point. They hate you particularly. But if you're not you..." Nightmare raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I'm listening, what are you getting at?"

"Just follow my instructions and you'll be perfect."

"...I feel completely ridiculous," Nightmare said as she swished her new fluffy tail in annoyance.  
"Come on, Mooney, you are adorable!" Derek exclaimed. She followed his orders exactly and became a certain animal, a fox.

She kept her normal black color but her tail faded into the blue color of her armor. Her eyes were no longer slivers but still remained teal.  
"How will this help? If I go anywhere near Luna she will sense me right away."  
"That's why you stick with me. When I was kidnapped, she felt your energy inside me. As long as we're together, she will dismiss it to the magic being from me. It's a fool proof plan, admit it." Nightmare sighed in defeat once again.  
"I suppose you're right." She jumped up on his shoulders and coiled herself around the back of his neck.  
"Look on the bright side babe, now you really are a foxy lady." She lightly growled and nipped his ear. He loved how he could mess with her. He gently patted her head and started walking.

As the edge of the forest came into view, Derek could feel Nightmares claws dig into his skin, he could feel her heart race faster with every step closer. Derek couldn't understand why she was so terrified. The best he could do was hold her close.  
They reached the edge of the forest and stared down at Ponyville. His mind began to wander, wondering what kind of foods they had. Maybe they had giant steaks so tender they just fall off the bone. Delicious chicken that makes your mouth water with each bite... He continued thinking about food without noticing the quite angry fox that was clutched to his chest.  
"DEREK!" He was snapped out of his trance and looked at Nightmare, who had a wet spots all over her head. "Thanks for drooling on me, but can we just get this over with before I change my mind?" Derek nodded and raced down the hill towards the town.

It was midday so all the ponies were out doing business or just hanging out. Derek slowed to a walk as not to startle the ponies. Despite him walking up to the town, no one noticed him. They all went about their day without a care in the world.  
"Stop right there." A voice called out before Derek could get any closer to town. Derek turned around and smiled at the guard before him. It was the same guard who was getting rough with him when he was kidnapped. The guard was walking up to him with a glare harder than stone.

"Why hello sir, how are you this lovely evening?" The guards glare didn't soften, it seemed to harden. "You seem pissed... do you need a hug?" Derek held his arms out to the side as if going in for a hug. The guard took out a piece of paper and a pen before writing a note. Once he signed the letter, he tore it in half and it burst into flames. After a long silence, a gold chariot landed close by with two other guards pulling it.  
"You are coming to Canterlot to answer to her majesty, princess Celestia. Come quietly or we will use force." Derek shrugged and climbed aboard. He stretched and sat down, facing out the back. Nightmare was not sure what he was up to exactly, she just hoped it was worth it.  
Derek hugged her and kissed her head before whispering in her ear. "Just as planned love."

The long hallway lined with stained glass windows was captivating to the eye. Derek and Nightmare were in complete awe. From the marble floors to the high ceiling covered in art, all was incredible. Both of them were so distracted that they barely realized that they entered the throne room. They were snapped out of their trance by Celestia clearing her throat.  
"Celly! Lunatic! It's so great to see you." Celestia simply brought her hoof up to her forehead while Luna growled at him, baring her teeth. Amused at her behavior, Derek winked at Luna which made her glare harder.

"Derek... what did you do?" Celestia asked, still with her face placed against her hoof.

"Nothing really, just decided to take a stroll into town. Mingle with the ponies you know. That is until that waffle over here stopped me." Derek said, gesturing to said guard who stopped him. "I didn't want to be cooped up in such an unforgiving forest filled with monstrosities." He said, being over dramatic as he stepped closer to Celestia.

"Please your royal highness, I'll even beg your royal hind ass if I must. Don't send me back to the forest." Celestia rose from her throne and approached one of the many windows in the room. She stood there silent and still for some time.  
"Do you promise to obey what I say." She finally spoke up.

"Oh yes massa, I'll be a good boy."

"Do you promise not to question my authority?" Derek replied with a simple yes, knowing that he was getting somewhere. She turned towards him and slowly walked up to him.

"Very well then, you may stay here in the castle. But you have one month to find a job so you can find your own place to live. Stonewall here will show you to your room." Derek mentally cheered as he succeeded. Celestia trusts him enough to allow him to stay in the castle. Just as planned.

"Isn't this amazing babe," Derek said as he jumped on the bed. "We are actually in Canterlot. Now we can move forward with whatever you have planned. Isn't this what you wanted?" Nightmare blinked a few times before it finally clicked. She completely forgot about Canterlot since she was so busy being focused on Derek. Even after all they went through, he still wanted her goal to be accomplished.

Soon after they made it to their room, Nightmare regained her normal form and casted a sound barrier. Not so much as to secretly converse their plan, but to be intimate. She looked out the window at the rest of the city. The sun was beginning to set. She could see the last of the ponies begin to head home or to whatever they had planned.  
"Yeah, it is what I want." She told him in a calm voice. She gently lied down and closed her eyes. It was nice having a bed that wasn't torn to shreds. The soft cotton against her was comforting. The only thing that was more comforting was having Derek wrap his arm around her, just as he was doing so now.

He gently brushed his fingers against her fur and kissed her neck. She huddled up to him and smiled. "I'm not going to lie, it's a little unsettling being her. Being so close to the enemies."

"Don't worry babe, It will only get better from now on." 


	6. Chapter 6

/-/  
/ Public reveal part 2/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

As Nightmare slept soundly on their new bed, Derek stood outside on the balcony, gazing up at the night sky, idly twirling the magic he now possessed between his fingers. He stopped. The magic dissipating from his fingers, his hands reaching up to his head. The heavy pounding causing him to slowly sit down, breathing heavily.  
"Three hours and twenty-seven minutes." He was keeping track on how long he could continuously use his magic. From the balcony he could see a library across the palace grounds. The possibility that there were books on magic inside that could assist him in furthering his knowledge and mastery...would have to wait.  
Derek stumbled his way to the bathroom to splash some water on his face to cool down. He filled the sink with cold water and splashed some on his face a couple times before looking into the mirror. He rubbed his face, feeling the stubble pricking his hand.  
"I really need a shave." He wasn't one to grow out facial hair since he felt it made him look weird. After some time of looking at himself, the mirror flashed with lightning and the sound of thunder echoed in the bathroom, his reflection revealed something. He reached forward and tapped the mirror. He observed it closely, waiting for something to happen. The reflection changed.  
The eyes transitioned into a soulless black that could pierce the darkest of hearts. The teeth sharpened to a such a fine point that they looked more like fangs than anything else. The skin paled to a point that looked like all the blood had been drained. He wore a sadistic smile that screamed insanity; it made Derek's skin crawl and his body tremble in terror. His 'reflection' copied him and rubbed his face. His nails looked more like claws. They lightly dug into his skin. The worst part is, Derek could feel them on his own skin.  
"I agree, Derek. We look simply horrid." His voice was deep and cold. "Long time no talk eh? How long has it been, about five years?" Derek swallowed hard. The voice was definitely familiar now that he thought about it.  
"W-what do you want?" He shakily asked. The 'person' laughed maniacally.  
"Why do you always think I want to hurt you? I'm not that bad of a guy. I simply showed up on good graces, can't you just accept that maybe I wish to help?" He clasped his hands together and pursed his lips and gave Derek puppy eyes.  
"Fuck you, I don't need you! Get the fuck out of my life!" The 'person' laughed once again. It was a little more controlled this time but still contained his insanity.  
"Very well, I'll leave you alone... for now." Derek glared at him with pure anger. "But before I go, I will bestow a special gift for you." Derek was taken by surprise as the man in the mirror reached out and grabbed his face. Derek instantly felt a rush of energy pulsing into him. He felt cold, almost frozen. His vision started becoming blurry. The last he saw before blacking out was the man in the mirror disappearing.

"Wake up Derek." A voice called out. He slowly opened his eyes and they locked on to the mare before him. His eyes were flooded with a pearl white. He soon regained feeling in his body and felt a hoof on his shoulder.  
"Where am I?" He couldn't move, his limbs heavy and numb.  
"You are in the medical wing of the castle. Try to relax. Do you need something to drink?" Celestia asked.  
"Anything with lots of alcohol..." Derek managed to shift his head to the side where a pony was resting their hoof. He came face to face with the one and only, Nightmare moon. All his numbness went away almost instantly, his heart pounding faster and harder than ever before. He tried to muster up the words to ask why she was there.  
"Oh shit..." Not exactly what he was looking for but it worked to some extent. "I knew all along Derek. That's why I was hesitant to allow you to use my castle as a home. I won't ask for the real reason you came here. Despite knowing you for a very brief time, I trust you," Celestia said. It took Derek by surprise and he attempted to ask further questions.  
"To answer your next question, yes I've always known she was still around."  
"But how could you have known?" He inquired. The whole situation was unsettling to him.  
"I rule Equestria, no information gets by without me knowing. You don't have to worry about my sister, Luna. Or as you put it, Lunatic." Derek nodded and closed his eyes.  
"How long have I been out?"  
"My guess is a little over six hours." Derek sat up and rubbed his head. "If you don't mind us asking, what made you pass out?" Derek remembered what happened as clear as day. He contemplated telling them or if he should keep it to himself. The fact that they would both become worried or quite possibly worse, frightened him.  
"Not exactly sure. Possibly dehydration or something. Your guess is as good as mine." He hopped off the bed and stretched.  
"I don't know about you two, but I'm starving. What's there to eat in this place? Please tell me there's meat."  
"As much as I hate to admit it, yes. Every now and then we get carnivorous diplomats who come and settle disputes between our countries."  
Nightmare took her fox form and climbed up on Derek's shoulder as Celestia led them to the kitchen. The kitchen and the med bay seemed to be on opposite sides of the castle. The walk that would take a few minutes seemed like a few hours.  
Derek spent the entire walk thinking about what happened in the bathroom. He thought that he would be rid of him, but apparently that was a fantasy that would never come true. Derek held back to urge to scream out in anger as he came to accept he was, to put it simply, completely fucked.  
"That's right. Accept it Derek, embrace it if you must." Derek stopped and spun around so fast that he almost flung Nightmare off him. He looked down the hall behind them and stared intensely. He gritted his teeth and glared, expecting to see him. To his disappointment, no one was there.  
"What in the world is wrong with you!?" Nightmare yelled at him. "You almost flung me across the hall!" Derek rested his hand on her head.  
"Sorry hun, I thought I heard something." Nightmare looked him in the eyes and squinted.  
"How bad did you hit your head?"  
"Oh please, I don't think I could get any more fucked up in the head." Or so he thought. He wished he wasn't so messed up. Only in Equestria for a few days and his past was already coming back to ruin him again. The kitchen was large and was filled with ponies rushing to finish dishes and preparing meals and hanging up decorations. Derek wondered what the occasion was until he read a decoration that read 'Nightmare Night'. His guess was that it was some sort of Halloween like thing.  
"I have to admit, you showed up at quite an interesting time. Nightmare Night is tonight, I think it would be an opportune time for you to expose yourself to Ponyville."  
"You want me to get naked?"  
"... No, I mean introduce yourself. By no means will you strip naked." Derek nodded and followed Celestia to the locker where they hold what little meat they had. As soon as she opened the door, the scent of delicious bacon flooded his nose. "It's not much but it's what we have." Derek set Nightmare down before he stepped inside and turned to face them.  
"If I'm not out by lunch time, send in a rescue team." He slammed the door shut and managed to lock it from the inside. Celestia and Nightmare stood there staring at the door.  
"Do you think we will have to send in a rescue team?" Nightmare asked.  
"I'm... not sure." They both stood there, basking in an awkward silence that fell upon them. They exchanged glances every now and then, hoping that one of them would break the silence. Deciding to break it herself, Nightmare spoke up.  
"So how have you been lately?" Celestia shrugged and didn't look at her. "Anything new with you?" She responded the same. "How's being ruler been?"  
"I don't fully trust you," Celestia said. She looked at Nightmare with a neutral expression. "I only let you stay here because I believe that everypony deserves a second chance. No matter how badly they have messed up. Don't betray the little trust I have for you." It was Nightmares turn to stay silent. She nodded and began to walk away.  
"I'll see you around, Celestia," She said a little colder than she intended.

Derek flopped on the bed and groaned. "I think I ate way too much bacon."  
"Did you even cook it?" Nightmare asked as she took her normal form.  
"I got six words for you."  
"And what's that?"  
"Honey badger don't give a fuck." Nightmare sighed and climbed on the bed next to him.

"That is so disgusting. What if you got some sort of disease?"

"I lightly cooked it with my lighter if that makes you feel better." Nightmare shuddered and gagged at the idea of him eating pretty much raw meat.

He shifted to face her. He brushed his fingers across her cheek and smiled. "I have an idea for tonight."  
"What do you have in mind?"  
"How about we go down to Ponyville and celebrate Nightmare Night?" Nightmare rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling.  
"I don't know. It feels a little weird to celebrate a holiday created for the sole reason to ridicule me."  
"I doubt that's the whole reason for Nightmare Night. Please can we go?" Derek gave her the puppy eyes and hugged her. As much as she hated the holiday, she couldn't say no to that face. She nodded in defeat and gave him a quick kiss.  
"You're amazing! I promise you'll love it. 


	7. Chapter 7

/-/  
/ A Powerful Presence/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

A knock came from the door soon after Derek and Nightmare got back to the room. Derek cracked the door open and noticed three ponies outside with cloth, tape measures, and other sewing equipment. One of them was an emerald green mare with a sapphire blue mane. Her cutie mark, two needles crossing behind a spool of thread. The other two might have been twins judging by how they looked. One was grey coat with a red mane and the other vice-versa.

"Excuse us, Derek. We are here to take your measurements and make your costume." Derek cocked an eyebrow at the group. He wasn't planning on wearing a costume for Nightmare Night.

"I hope you don't mind, sir."

"Actually I don't plan on wearing a costume, sorry about that ladies." He began to close the door until the pony in front stopped him and walked in.

Nightmare luckily did not change back to normal so she was safe. The trio began to set up their equipment.

"That's nonsense, everyone needs a costume for the holiday. You don't want the wicked mare, Nightmare Moon to get you now do you?" The mare said giggling to herself. Derek looked back at Nightmare and grinned.

"I might not mind if she did." Nightmare smiled and bit the air at him.

"You are definitely a strange one. I don't see what Celestia sees in you." The emerald pony said as she began to take measurements.

Derek let them do their work despite finding it pointless. All he wanted was to spend a night in town with his mare. They have yet to have a perfect night without something happening to them. "All done here. Anything specific you want for your costume?" Derek shook his head and stretched.

"I appreciate you taking my measurements, but I think those will only be useful for everyday clothes. I have my own set up for Nightmare Night. Thank you for your time though." The mares nodded and left the room with all their supplies. Derek turned around and saw Nightmare, in her normal form, giving him a quizzical look. She cocked her head to the side, observing him intensely.

"If you're undressing me with your eyes, you can just ask me to you know," Derek says, smirking.

"Derek... Is something going on? I can feel your magic changing. I can't tell how exactly, but it definitely feels different." Derek didn't notice anything different about himself, but if she noticed it, it must be true. The only question is why it was shifting.  
Nightmare got off the bed and walked up to him. She put her hoof on his shoulder and gave him a serious, yet concerned look.

"If something is wrong I need you to tell me."

Derek embraced her lovingly before looking into her eyes. Those turquoise pools captivating him. The look in her eyes told him that she loved him and cared for him, in a way that no one ever has before. He brushed her cheek with a thumb and gave her a kiss.

"You don't have to worry about me hun. I'm fine, I promise." Nightmare accepted the answer and walked back to the bed. He didn't like lying to her, but the last thing he wanted was her to worry.

Derek walked over to the dresser and pulled a few clothes out. A black tee shirt and a pair of black pants. From the closet he grabbed his trench coat. He splayed them out on the bed and rushed outside leaving Nightmare laying down completely clueless.  
He soon returned with a pair of scissors and white paint; where he got them, she had no clue. Without missing a step, he jumped in the chair in front of a desk with an attached mirror and began to cut his hair. To both of their surprise, he was doing fairly well. In truth, he was cutting his hair in semi-random spots.

Once finished, his hair was short to medium length. He grabbed the paint and rushed over to the shirt and began to carefully paint a design from memory. Because of him trying to be precise, it took about thirty minutes to complete. He held it up victoriously, obviously proud of his work. Nightmare didn't say a word, completely oblivious to what it is.

"Okay you got me, what is it?"

"The Punisher!" He said, figuratively gushing pride as he pointed at the skull design. "Not my first choice, but it's the best I can do on short notice. Do you like it?" Nightmare nodded with a smile and got up.

"It's great, but how will you introduce yourself to the community? You can't just waltz out there and say, 'Hey everypony, my name is Derek, it's a pleasure to meet you all!' We don't know how these ponies are exactly, for all we know they could be very hostile to outsiders." Derek chuckled and waved a hand at her.

"Don't worry, I have everything planned out already. Just trust me, what can go wrong?"

"Princess Celestia, we have him," A guard said as he entered a room underneath the castle. "Would you like us to bring him in?" Celestia nodded in response, looking over the damage and eyewitness reports concerning Ponyville and the human that now lives in Equestia. To put it simply, it did not look good.

The guard from before ushered Derek, who was stained head to toe in red, inside the room. His wrists and ankles were chained together to prevent escape. Derek sat down and pulled out his pack of cigarettes that they let him keep. He lit one and inhaled the smoke before blowing it out lazily. The princess continued to look over the papers in silence. She closed the folder holding the papers and looked at him.

"I'm sure you already know why you're here?" Derek nodded, clearly ashamed of what happened. "And I'm sure you know what I want you to do?" Another nod. "Go ahead and tell your side of the story, from when you left to the aftermath. Afterwards, we will decide what course of action will be taken. Begin whenever you are ready." Derek took a moment to collect himself, and get his story together. He took a drag off his cigarette and began his side of the story.

"Excited to get out there?" Derek asked Nightmare, who was cowering in the corner of the chariot in her fox form. She quickly shook her head repeatedly. Derek laughed at her and shook his head.

"You don't have to be worried Mooney, soon we won't have to hide. We will rule Equestria together, just like you wanted." She nodded hesitantly. Her terrified expression now a look of uncertainty. He gently stroked the back of her head and sighed.

"What's wrong, Nightmare?" She looked up at him.

"I've just been thinking about our goal. Lately I have been questioning what we have been working towards slowly. I'm starting to think that It's not Equestria that I need to have meaning or to feel loved. My mind has slowly began to work more towards aiming for redemption than anything else," She said before looking away and staring out the back of the chariot. "It's probably just nerves."  
The silence between them became uncomfortable. Derek scooped her up into his arms and smiled as he stood up.

"Whatever you decide, I'll stand behind you on it one hundred percent. Now come on, we're here." With a devious smile, he stepped off the chariot while they were still about a hundred feet in the air.

Nightmare panicked as they rushed toward the ground at an alarming rate. She scrambled around in his arms as they neared the earth while Derek simply laughed uncontrollably like a maniac.

Once they were about ten feet away from their impending death, Derek became surrounded with purple fog that managed to slow their decent remarkably. They landed softly and he allowed the fog to dissipate soon after and studied the onlookers who had expressions of fear and curiosity. Derek set Nightmare down and put his arms in the air.

"So who wants to get skull fucked first?!" The crowd erupted in screams of terror as they all fled from the scene leaving him standing there smiling. "God I love it here."

"Well... after spending an hour or so trying to get everypony to calm down, we only get weird looks now and then," Nightmare said. Derek only chuckled before taking a drink of his cider. It took a while, but they were finally able to go to the stalls for food and drinks without being threatened to have the guards called on them. Nightmare glared at him as she pulled the drink away from him with her paw.

"This is serious, do you want anymore suspicion? We already get enough of that from Celestia and Luna. I want you to promise me you won't attract anymore attention." He looked at her with a straight face as he slowly pulled his drink back and took a drink.

"I cannot promise that. I do happen to be the only bipedal, furless creature around these parts after all." Nightmare sighed and jumped off the table.

"I'm going for a walk. I just need to think for a little bit. Go and mingle, I'll find you later." She walked passed him and walked into an alley. He wasn't exactly sure if she was mad or not. All he knew was that she needed to clear her mind, and he was going to let her do so.

He finished his drink and stood up before walking towards the crowd. He wasn't exactly one for meeting new people, let alone animals that knew how to talk, possess magic, and/or the ability to fly. Definitely a huge mind fuck in his opinion.

About an hour passed since Derek was able to finally talk to the residents and actually get some of them to like him, probably because he found an alcohol that was probably as strong as everclear. Needless to say, he was fucked up. He was the kind of drunk who, no matter who you were, you would end up loving him. The ponies he met were interesting and fun to his surprise, especially one pink party pony who definitely knew how to let loose at a party.

What made the night even more fun, was the fact that they had some sort of mini "club" that was really just a house that belonged to a deejay that lived in the town. To put it simply, the pink pony and the deejay can throw one hell of a party.

Throughout the night, Derek made some 'decent' decisions. Some of them, not clearly thought out.

"Alright you crazy bastards. For my next trick I am going to need a volunteer from the crowd. Do I have any takers?" Derek announced in a drunk stupor while tossing his knife in the air and catching it repeatedly. Due to the fact that he gained their trust and managed to get most of them to like him, multiple ponies raised their hooves and yelled for them to be chosen. Fighting to stay standing up straight, he scanned the crowd for a random pony.

"You there. What's your name lovely?" He asked as he pointed at a white pony with a curled purple mane. She introduced herself as "Rarity". He walked her over to the side of a house and placed and apple in her hoof. She gave him a confused look and went to say something but was cut off when he put a finger to her mouth.

"Ladies and gentle- whatever the fuck you call yourselves!" He began his introduction. "What I am about to perform, I would suggest you do not try at home. I am a semi trained, not so professional. But do not worry, I am only slightly tipsy." He turned back to Rarity and tossed his knife in the air, letting it spin a couple times before catching it by the handle. He spun the knife around and held it by the end of the blade before cocking his arm back preparing to throw it.

In one swift motion, he extended his arm, took the shot, and released the knife. In the blink of an eye, the blade connected with the fruit she was holding and making a loud 'thudding' sound as it impacted with the wall behind it. The sounds of clopping and cheering echoed around him as he walked up to his lovely assistant.

"Can this young lady get a round of applause?" The crowd complied and cheered for her as well. "Now for my next trick... This one is a bit different. All I've shown you is knife tricks and smoke and mirrors. I want you all to observe me, and take note that I do not have a horn," He said before removing his shirt. "And most definitely no tricks up my sleeves. What you are all about to see is magic. I know it's nothing new to any of you but keep in mind that humans cannot perform the kind." He closed his eyes and extended his arms horizontally. Slowly, he raised his hands above his head, conjuring more magic with every movement. His breath became shallow as he became lost in a trance. Within moments, clouds swirled above the town that roared like a beast out of the depths of hell. The sky became etched with lightning as if the heavens themselves were splitting open.

Sounds of cracking and shattering echoed throughout the town, only not from the above. Stares from the townsfolk slowly drifted from the sky, to the earth beneath Derek. Even the unicorns felt this strange shift in magic.

This feeling did not escape the conjurer as soon he gazed at the shattered ground beneath him. Making the grave mistake of lowering his arms to his sides, he cast his magic into the ground. Between his legs, formed a fissure that glowed like a raging fire and soon dimmed to almost black, leaving a dim blue glow.

The ponies surrounding him backed away hesitantly, unsure of what was happening. The fissure slowly opened, revealing a deep cavern.

The cavern felt empty. Not the kind of empty like nothing dwells within it, but as if there is no hope and only despair, pain and anguish. A home to the lost souls. For as long as Derek could remember, he had never been so frightened, never felt so alone, yet felt completely at home.

"What in the name of Equestria have you done?" Derek turn around and faced Luna. Despite not fearing her, and only mocking her at every encounter. He was terrified.

"I... I don't know..." He managed to stutter. "I only meant to summon a storm. I didn't mean to open the ground up."

"You did not just open the ground," Luna stated as she approached the crevice. "You opened a gate to Tarturus."

Derek gazed inside the portal, feeling drawn to it. He knelt down to try a take a closer, beginning to reach inside. As his hand got closer, a strange essence began to envelope his hand and soak in his skin. Before any more could enter him, the portal suddenly closed snapping the stream of magic.

"I suggest you return to the castle, Derek. We will speak of this tomorrow with my sister. I trust you can find your own way there."

As she flew away, Nightmare came up to him and perched herself on his shoulder. "Would like for me to teleport us home?" She asked.

"No... I think I would prefer to take a train. I've had enough magic for one night. You go on ahead, I'll meet you back at the castle."

After purchasing his ticket, he found an empty train car and took a seat. As he stared out the window, he felt a slight tingle in his left hand. He looked at his hand and noticed black spots on his fingers and on the back of his hand. He studied them close before they appeared to become liquid like and bubbled up as if being boiled. After a few seconds, the bubbling stopped only to shoot black lines up his arm, making a grid like pattern up to his neck and then his left temple. Derek couldn't help but scream in pain as he felt pressure press against his left eye. Unable to withstand the excruciating pain, he fainted.

He awoke, still on the train. He could see the castle coming into view over a mountain.  
Looking down, he could see the grid had retracted to being only on his hand and forearm. Quickly realizing that something like this would raise plenty of questions especially after what happened in Ponyville, he began to panic. He stood up and backed up against the wall, below a flickering light. He had to find a way to avoid being seen, but how could he avoid an entire city?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt sick. He was to the point of almost vomiting and fell to his knees. The only thing he could think about was the bathroom in his room. The light flickered once more, leaving him in the dark just as he threw up.  
He was expecting to hear the splash on the floor, only to hear it hitting water. He opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a toilet. He found himself inside his bathroom.

Coming to terms of what happened, he concluded that he transported himself back to the castle.  
After regaining his composure, he got to his feet and went to the sink to wash his face. After a few splashes, he wiped his face off with a nearby towel and looked in the mirror. To his surprise, he was not looking at a familiar face. It was his, the only issue was that his left eye had turned black with white specks, looking like the night sky.

"What the hell is happening to me?" 


	8. Chapter 8

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/ Insanity Revealed/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

'Redemption, it was something that Nightmare had mentioned before the incident. Would that be the best move for her to take? When ruling with an iron fist, you know how everyone feels towards you whether it be fear, false respect or plain hatred. When trying to redeem yourself, you may never know what everybody thinks. Some will stay feeling the same while some have minor admiration for what you are attempting to do.  
The only issue with redemption is that even if it something small, or something big... There is always a sacrifice to be made or a price to pay. It could be by doing tasks and or favors, or it could also be paid in blood... but the question is; who's blood?  
This is only my view, my opinion, and quite possibly my final thoughts. I am no philosopher, but I do believe that even my point of view can have an impact on someone out there, no matter how small.'  
Derek finished writing as he closed the notebook he grabbed from a drawer in the room while his love was asleep. He leaned against the bathroom door and closed his eyes.  
Almost being taken over by sleep, a sudden knock at the bathroom door caused him to jump away from the door. He rubbed his eyes in attempt to get the sleep out of them but to no avail. Looking out the window, he saw that it had become day in what felt like seconds.

"Yeah, who is it?" Derek asked.

"I am Lieutenant Flare, one of Celestia's guards. I have orders to escort you to a meeting with her." Derek grabbed and pulled his hair in frustration. He had completely forgot about what Luna had told him.  
He turned to look in the mirror to see if what happened last night was real. Noticing his eye was still black, he began to panic.

"Are you coming, sir?" The guard questioned, slowly becoming frustrated.

"Yes, just give me a moment. I'll be out soon." He replied, never looking away from the mirror.

"Very well. I will be waiting in the hall." Derek could hear the sound of hooves getting quieter. Derek rubbed the corner of the sink, beginning to formulate an idea to keep everyone from noticing his black eye. He grasped the corner, took a few deep breaths to calm himself and braced himself for what came next.  
His heart raced, ready to burst out of his chest. In one swift motion, he swung his head down as hard as he could. A sharp sound echoed throughout the bathroom, blood splattered along the sink. He fought the urge to scream as the searing pain burned the area around his eye.  
Looking back in the mirror, he was content with his work. His eye became swollen, hiding the discoloration. Grabbing a towel nearby and getting it damp with water, he gently dabbed the blood away. Satisfied, he exited the bathroom and followed the guard to the meeting with Celestia.

The room which he could only guess was used for interrogations or something along those lines was dark and dreary. A single candle was placed on a table that Celestia sat at, who was busy sifting through papers in a folder. Taking a seat, Derek remained quiet and stared at the floor, dreading the worst to come.  
They both remained silent for some time while the princess continued reading. He couldn't tell if she was actually reading or waiting for him to speak. Dereks legs began to quiver in fear of the unknown. He was unsure what was going to happen to him, whether it was good or bad. He cleared his throat, ready to speak up and break the silence. Celestia closed the folder and lo4oked him in the eye with a blank expression.

"May I ask why I'm down here?" He swallowed hard, he suddenly found it difficult to breath. His chest tightened and his mouth became dryer than a dessert. The goddess merely sighed and closed her eyes and looked at one of the pitch black corners of the room.

"You may return to your post lieutenant." Lieutenant Flare stepped forth and exited the room. The metal door closed with a loud slam leaving the two in complete silence once again.

"I am sure you know why I sent for you. The Ponyville incident last night. A few bystanders and my sister put together a report on what happened with you. It was hastily compiled but I believe it is quite accurate. But just to be sure, I want your end of the story. Derek pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one before beginning to explain what happened.

Derek put his cigarette out as he finished. He told her everything except for what happened on the train. Celestia sat there, trying to piece everything together. She inhaled deeply before breathing out, and blinked quickly a few times.

"Well your side seems to fit everything in the report. I only have one question..." Derek looked up at her. "How did you hurt your eye?" He reached up and touched the spot under his damaged eye. Just simply touching around the swollen flesh stung awfully. He already thought what to say if that topic came up.

"Well I had a lot to drink and my balance was definitely not the best at the time and I fell while getting on the train and ended up hitting it on the seat. Yeah I am just a bit clumsy." Celestia nodded and stared at him with a dead stare.

"That actually brings me to my next question. What happened to you on the train? Ponies noticed you get on but nobody saw you get off. Then you just magically appeared in your bedroom. You would have to pass about twelve different guards to make it there. I am very curious as to how you managed to do such a feat." he thought about what to say with nothing coming to mind.

"I am only worried that you are holding something from me. It is my job to make sure everypony stays safe and if you can do something that can be a threat, I have to know."

"I promise you, I am not hiding anything from you." She continued looking him in his one good eye, occasionally glancing to the other. Then finally looking at his left arm.

"Pull up your sleeve," she told him bluntly. He leaned back and held his arm.

"Why would you want to see my arm? It's nothing special." She glared at him before engulfing his sleeve in a yellow aura. Just before ripping the sleeve off, he felt a sudden and painful pulse in his chest leading to his right arm. She examined his exposed arm up and down. She shook her head and sat back in her seat before bring her hoof up to mouth and close her eyes in deep thought.

"I am sorry Derek. It's just that ever since you came here, I have been feeling the dark magic in you growing. Needless to say, it has been very worrying. To be honest, I am scared that you may change into something terrible."

"Am I free to leave now?" She nodded silently giving him the okay to leave. Derek quickly stood up and made his towards the door. He grabbed the handle but didn't open it. Looking back at her, he noticed how depressed she looked. He wanted to just leave, but he couldn't. Letting the handle go, he walked back over to her.  
Kneeling down next to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder prompting her to look up at him.

"I promise you, nothing will happen. You have nothing to be afraid of." With those words, he left. Allowing the door to slam shut, sending a gust of wind across the room, blowing the candle out and leaving Celestia in complete darkness.

Entering his room and closing the door slowly, he noticed Nightmare was still sound asleep. He could not really blame her, last night was quite the ordeal. It was definitely a strange turn of events. A night of fun becoming a night of terror. Walking over to his closet, he sifted through the clothes and grabbed his coat. He figured that a little bit of fresh air would help clear his head.

Walking out the palace gates he made his way through the streets of Canterlot. The usually calming night breeze instead made him feel more morose than anything else. Derek began to feel alone, not physically but mentally. Instead of being caressed by the night air, he felt like he was being strangled by it. Instead of feeling safe, he felt scared and in danger.

"What is it that I want?" Derek asked himself out loud.

"I know exactly what you want." Derek stopped and looked down with his eyes closed.

"You are the very last thing I want to talk to. Just leave me alone." He made his way over to a bench and sat down. Derek placed his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes.

"Come on Der', you know you know you want to have some more fun. Just like we did that one time back home." The voice continued to egg Derek on even as he continued walking down the street.

"I know you are still upset with me, but after all, it was your body doing all the work." Derek continued to ignore the voice, Lighting a cigarette, he passed windows of closed shops, allowing him to see 'his' reflection. The person he saw in the bathroom mirror was looking back at him as Derek continued on his walk.

"Come on man, with these new powers we could have so much fun. And that dinky little gun you lost in the ravine, I'm sure we could find it and put it to good use."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Derek asked, finally intrigued by what he was being told. He faced the window where the embodiment of the voice was and crossed his arms. He didn't like listening to it but when he felt that the inhabitants of this world could be in danger of himself, then that is a whole different story.

"What I am talking about is doing a little repeat from home. Hell, maybe we could get Mooney in on this. I am sure she would love it." Derek shattered the window by putting his fist through it.

"You leave Nightmare out of this you fuck! I will not let you ruin my life here you murdering prick."

"I wouldn't call myself a murderer, I prefer liberator of life." Derek turned to see him in another window and instantly rushed at it. Bursting through the window and into the pitch black shop, he did not land inside though. He found himself hanging on the ledge of a ravine. Not just any ravine, it was the one where he and Nightmare fell into.

Looking up, he saw the man above him crouching at the ledge peering down at him. His smug grin was filled with sadistic needs, needs that sent chills down Dereks spine.

"Look buddy, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you do what I want," Derek merely glared at him. "Come on now, I just want to have some fun. It has been so long since you got 'treated' because of me." Derek looked below him at the rushing water, contemplating what to do.

"Those guys back home deserved it, they were monsters!"

"And what in the hell are we? You enjoyed it and you fucking know it." He gripped the ledge and swallowed hard. "If it upsets Nightmare, you can always fuck and make up. Hell I like that girl, she's alright for a pony."

"I will never hurt the ones I love." The man standing at the ledge laughed himself close to tears. It scared Derek terribly.

"Well let me ask you this, Is it you who loves her, or is it me? You only started getting feelings for her when I started coming around again." Derek looked down once more before making a decision. Looking the man in the eye, he scowled.

"It's me who loves her, she is the one who gave me a chance to do something different. She is the one who gave me a second life. And I'll be damned if I hurt her, or anyone else here." Letting go of the ledge, he spread his arms out and closed his eyes as he plummeted to his watery grave below.

Pain coursed through his body as he came to. Opening his eyes, he saw that he had not hit the water, instead hit the shore. He knew because he saw the broken branch he had hit on his way down which explained the piece of wood sticking out of his side. After sitting up, he clutched the large splinter and pulled it out. The red ichor leaked down his side and pooled on the ground around him. Derek smiled and lightly chuckled.

"Not exactly the way I wanted to go, but oh well what can you do?" He leaned against the rock wall while his breathing became slow and heavy. He began to fall to side as he became light headed and dizzy. With how much blood he was loosing, he knew that it was only a matter of time, all he had to do was wait. Knowing that the ponies of Equestria were safe was enough to put his mind at ease.

"...derek..." He heard his name being called quietly, it sounded so distant but once he opened his eyes, Nightmare was right in front of him. "Come on Derek, stay with me."

"What in the hell are you doing here Nightmare?" He asked quietly. The pain was almost unbearable to talk. She ignored his question as she began to apply pressure to his wound. He weakly pushed her hoof away.

"Don't, this has to happen. For everyone's safety." She gave him a quizzical look.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, holding back her tears. Derek swallowed hard, gaining his courage.

"Do you want to know why I agreed to stay here so easily?" Nightmare nodded in response. "I did something back home that I regret but I was unable to get away from. Technically I killed two people, But I was not in control. You see, I was diagnosed with split personality disorder. There's me now, and then there is my more violent side that doesn't know right from wrong. I got treatment but ever since I started being exposed to dark magic, he has been slowly coming back. I have been seeing him around and I can't risk anyone getting hurt. Especially you Nightmare."

"We can get you help. Just hang in there, please."

"How can you get me help? You can't show yourself." She looked around, hoping that the answer would be somewhere around them. She gathered composure, looked him in the eye and muttered something that Derek thought he would never hear from her.

"Fuck it, I can't hide from everypony." She engulfed both of them in a bright purple aura and teleported them away. When his vision began to come back to normal, he was able to vaguely make out his surroundings. He noticed walls lined with bookshelves and a large wooden horse head in the center of the room. 


	9. Chapter 9

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/ Two Steps Back/ Story: The Prince Of Darkness/ by ShadowStallion/-/

"Please Twilight, you have to help him!" Nightmare exclaimed, begging the unicorn before her who only backed away in disbelief. Her eyes shifted quickly between the pony that threatened Equestria in the past, and the human who is currently dying in the middle of her library.

"I uh... wha..." Twilight stuttered, incapable of uttering a single sentence. She was ready to make a break for it and get help until she noticed the tears streaming down Nightmare's face. Releasing a sigh of defeat, she approached Derek and inspected his wounds.  
"His injuries can be fixed fairly easily, Just stay with him and let me go get my medical kit from the bathroom."

After Twilight tended to his wounds and brought him to her room to rest, both her and Nightmare found themselves in the kitchen quietly sipping tea. They remained silent for what seemed like hours, both hoping that the other would speak up. Eventually the silence was broken but not by either of them, but by the door to the library opening and shutting.

"Hey Twilight, sorry it took me so long but Rarity needed my help moving some of her supplies. What are you up to- OH CELESTIA IT'S NIGHTMARE!" . Spike made his presence known. He made a rush for a parchment to send a note to the princesses only to be stopped and levitated by a familiar purple aura. Twilight had picked him up and brought him into the kitchen and sat him down at the table. Neither Twilight nor Nightmare had looked up from their cups of tea that had began to grow cold. As he sat there, he looked worriedly between the two powerful creatures. Despite the awkward situation, Spike had proven to be less patient than the other two.

"Okay, I'll bite. What in the world of Equestria is going on here?" He asked, slamming his hands on the table. Nightmare simply closed her eyes and slumped down, trying to make herself as small as possible. With a disapproving glance at her, Twilight took a deep breath before beginning.

"Apparently, Nightmare was never gone. She remained at the castle ruins plotting her revenge. Realizing she needed help, she pulled our good buddy Derek from the human world to aid her in overthrowing Celestia. During the very short time he was here, they formed an intimate relationship that eventually began to give him powers that both princess Luna and Nightmare possess while at the same time awakening an old psychological disorder he had that is apparently a murderous psychopath, and to make matters worse, said magic within him is quite possibly going to kill him. And also I should add that my mentor knows that she is still around and in fact welcomed her to be back. Does that about sum it up?" She finished with a cold glare at Spike, not angry at him but simply angry at the situation itself.

"So where is he right now?" Spike inquired, attempting to remain calm after learning information he wished he hadn't known.

"Pretty close to a coma from severe blood loss and the magical strain on his body." Twilight said, staring at, Nightmare as she fought the urge to yell at her "guest". She merely regained her composure and kindly looked at her assistant.  
"Would you mind setting the table for dinner, we're apparently having company."

With the table set and dinner prepared, everyone except their patient took a spot at the table. Twilight and Nightmare sat at opposite ends of the table while Spike sat in between them. They all ate in complete silence with the only noise coming from Spike as dug into his food with gusto. Twilight ate casually while her "esteemed guest" merely prodded her greens with a fork. Without looking up from her plate, Twilight addressed Nightmare.

"You can either stay in my room with Derek or stay in the basement. I suggest the basement just so you don't get seen by anypony walking through, plus it will allow you to stay out of my hair. And Spike, once we finish dinner I want you to send a letter to Celestia only to let her know that both of them are here. Do not include any names." Both of them nodded to show they understood.

Once the letter was sent after Twilights approval, Nightmare headed down to the basement to honor her host's suggestion. With not any form of bed in sight, she set her eyes on a corner at the far end of the cold room. As she lied down, she released a sigh. She was happy that he was still alive, but learning that he was dying because of the magic he gained from her diminished any spark of happiness she possessed. Nightmare replayed the conversation she had with Twilight in her head, thinking of any solution to this new problem.

"Will he be alright? Please just give it to me straight." Twilight nodded in response without even looking up from her patient. Curiosity flood over Twilight. With her magic, she began to inspect his body for a reason unknown to Nightmare.  
"What are you doing to him?

"I am inspecting his major organs for any damage that your magic may have caused. As far as we know, his kind are not accustomed to dark magic let alone any kind." The aura stopped at his head and the unicorn's jaw slowly dropped in shock.

"What's wrong, he's going to be just fine right... right?" Twilight stopped her magic and faced the worried alicorn.

"As I looked through his body, I noticed trails of magic impurities spread throughout his organs and his veins. I just figured that it was only a side effect because he was so new to it but now that I look at his brain..." She took a deep breath, readying herself to give news that, Nightmare would much rather not hear. "There is very heavy damage at the frontal lobe which among many things, is also associated with personality and behavior. It is changing who he is over time. Any differences in his personality and actions are caused by this strain. As I dug deeper I noticed that almost every other portion of his brain are wearing away. He can heal, unfortunately very slowly, but he has to limit himself to get a fighting chance to harness it or within time, this dark magic could either leave him completely immobile or worse case scenario, kill him slowly and painfully...

No matter what situation they manage to get through, a new one emerges just to throw a wrench in the gears. No matter how hard they try, the light of their relationship immediately gets a shadow cast over it; and not just any shadow, but the shadows from her past, present and quite possibly even her future for now it is beginning to appear as if none of this was meant to be.

She got up from her spot and began to pace around the room, thinking of any solution to help save his life. Knowing him, there is no way he would limit himself. She stopped her pacing when she heard the door to the basement opened with Spike walking through it with blankets.

"Sorry to disturb you but I have some blankets for you. Don't want you catching a cold or anything." He set them down next to her and began to walk off. Nightmare wanted to ask how Derek was doing, but could only muster up a 'thank you'.

As he made his way to the stairs, Nightmare lifted the blankets toward her with her magic but she did not lay them on her, she instead stared at the aura surrounding them. Once the door shut, she sat down and spoke to herself.

"Dark magic is killing him because it's dangerous in its own nature... What if he managed to balance it out with some other form of magic?"

Twilight stood at the end of her bed, observing Derek as she wondered how much longer he could hold on. It surprised her that he managed to still be completely functional despite the damage. She then began to think about all the physical trauma he has been through ever since he arrived. Puncture wound from the branch in the ravine, falling about one hundred feet on to solid ground, scratch marks that could only be caused by timber wolves. The list seemed to just keep growing and he appears to just walk everything off.

For a few minutes she pondered how he managed to still be alive and have surprisingly very few wounds and or scars. It was as if he was protected by something that no one could see. Thoughts and ideas for possible explanations began to flood her mind. She was so infatuated with him that she did not hear Spike come upstairs.

"Hey Twilight, I gave her the blankets like you told me to do; she seems really torn up about this guy." Twilight said nothing. "Okay then, I'm just going to head to bed. You be sure to get some rest too." He said as he made his way to his bed.

"Spike..." She said, getting his attention. "Come here for a moment, I want you to do something for me." With a sigh, Spike made his way back over to her.

"What do you need?" She pointed at his exposed leg.

"I want you to try and scratch his skin. I don't mean leave him with gash, just enough to possibly break the skin." He merely cocked his eyebrows in disbelief.

"yeah um, how about no. Out of all the bad ideas I have heard, that is probably the worst." The dragon said as he backed away from the unicorn he is now beginning to think is going nuts.

"Come on Spike, think of it being for science or something."

"If injuring a comatose patient is science, then I want nothing to do with science."

"But Spike-"

"No, Twilight," He interrupted her. "Haven't you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat. In this situation, I feel like I am going to be said cat." He rubbed his eyes and let out an irritated sigh. "Look, It's been a long and quite disturbing night. We all just need a little sleep and in the morning the three of us will sit down and talk about this when we are all calmed down a little more." In defeat Twilight let her head drop before nodding in agreement.

"I guess you're right. I'm gonna go sleep on the couch, goodnight Spike." She said, prompting him to return a goodnight. 


End file.
